


Our Prologue

by Sonnshine



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Baby gays take over the world, F/F, U-18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22426963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonnshine/pseuds/Sonnshine
Summary: Maybe there’s a reason Lindsey jokes about not remembering Sonnett from playing together when they were younger. Maybe Sonnett only ever brings it up because it’s the easiest way to get under her skin.
Relationships: Lindsey Horan/Emily Sonnett
Comments: 24
Kudos: 84





	Our Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Were a bunch of Thorns really called up to U-18 together? No. Did I use their names for fictional purposes because they’re similar ages? Yes.

Emily’s least favorite part of living and breathing soccer is trying to blend in with everyone else around her age. She has missed quite a few milestones held in high regard by her peers. There were more than a couple evenings over the years where most of her classmates were dolling up with make up and dresses while she was busy getting packed up to spend the weekend at a tournament. Committing to play at UVA in the fall and getting called up to a YNT camp should make it seem like the sacrifices paid off, but even in a space where there are people she expects to understand her the best she quickly finds herself getting put on blast for falling behind. 

She’s crowded into a hotel room with a small group of other U-18s after two days of training and everything seems to be going fine until one of the other girls suggests they play “Never Have I Ever” to get to know each other better. There are only four of ten girls in the room whose names she can remember - Tyler, Kelli, Gabby, and Lindsey - and although it’s neither of them who suggests the game, they’re also not refusing to play, so she keeps the itch to object to herself. 

“I’ll start,” a bubbly brunette, who’s sitting between Kelli and Gabby, insists. “Never have I ever broken a bone while playing soccer.” 

One girl puts a finger down and they move in a clockwise direction so Kelli’s turn falls next. 

“Never have I ever been cut from a team.” 

The first round continues to be fairly innocent until it reaches Gabby and she decides to spin the direction of their statements.

“Never have I ever dated someone from the boy’s soccer team.” 

Half the group puts a finger down and Emily’s hand is the only one without any fingers bent yet. Technically this means she’s winning, but it doesn’t make her feel victorious. 

It only goes downhill from there. 

There’s a flurry of statements that follow which make Emily want to disappear, as everyone starts getting closer to losing except her. 

“Never have I ever asked a boy to a dance.”

“Never have I ever been drunk.”

“Never have I ever flirted with a boy to make his friend jealous.” 

And the one that really put her in the spotlight. 

“Never have I ever kissed a boy,” Tyler says, except she also puts down a finger, having only used it to ensure a couple girls who were on their last finger would get out before her.

The girl to Emily’s left, whose name she learns is Margaret, nudges her. 

“I think Sonnett over here’s been cheating,” she accuses. 

Emily looks down at her hand then back up, her gaze falling first on Lindsey who’s directly across from her. Lindsey’s head is tilted and her expression reads as curious, like maybe she’s also been wondering if Emily’s telling the truth about everything so far. They were assigned as roommates and she finds the other girl extremely intimidating. Going back to their room later is not something she’s looking forward to doing, especially after this game. 

“I’m not,” she responds so quietly it’s almost a whisper, trying to fight the blush spreading onto her cheeks. “I don’t do much besides train.” 

It’s true, and it’s the reason she’s here at all while her twin, Emma, is back in Georgia hanging out with most of their other teammates. She plays soccer, too, but doesn’t take it nearly as seriously. She’s the one with a real social life between the two. 

There’s a consensus to declare her the winner as they move on to picking a movie for everyone to watch before curfew. They settle on “She’s The Man” and the comedy relaxes Emily to an extent. If anything, seeing how tangled dating can be from watching the movie makes her feel more secure in her choice to put soccer first. Hilarious as it is to watch the characters go through it, she would rather eat glass than be in the middle of that cluster muffin. There’s also a tingling in her gut from recognizing chemistry between Viola and Olivia that she doesn’t want to analyze, preferring to shake it off as some type of side effect from the gender confusion. 

Lindsey excuses herself from the movie early to call home to her mom, so by the time Emily returns to their room she’s already changed into pajamas, tucked into bed, and looking at a Sports Illustrated magazine. Because Lindsey appears so settled in, it surprises Emily when she speaks up anyway.

“Why haven’t you kissed anyone?” 

Emily doesn’t like invasive questions but she doesn’t want to be rude back, so she takes a different approach. 

“Why have you kissed someone?” She counters while grabbing her own pajamas from her suitcase. 

Lindsey raises an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that response. 

“I don’t know,” Lindsey admits. 

“Hmmm, same then,” Emily replies with a shrug as she leaves to the bathroom after locating her toothbrush and toothpaste. 

Emily expects the conversation to be over when she returns, but Lindsey appears to have other plans. 

“It’s okay if you don’t like boys,” Lindsey tells her, seemingly out of the blue. 

“Excuse me?” Emily asks, face crinkled in confusion.

“If you haven’t kissed a boy because you want to kiss girls, it’s safe for you to tell me. One of my best friends is gay.” 

Lindsey is too perceptive, and Emily decides that even if she’s well meaning, she still doesn’t like it. 

“Where do you get off trying to read someone’s sexual orientation based on who they have or haven’t kissed? Maybe some of us aren’t a slave to our hormones and are perfectly content not going around kissing people of any gender.” 

Lindsey sits up and scoots out of her own bed to take up the space beside Emily on hers. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. It was just...the way you seemed so uncomfortable around the others with their questions. I thought maybe you needed an ally or something.” 

Emily looks at Lindsey carefully, she’s much less intimidating when she’s groveling in their room compared to her demeanor out on the field. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t demolish whichever sucker decided it was safe to kiss you,” Emily teases, testing her temporary teammate’s sense of humor while her guard appears down. 

Lindsey lands a light punch to Emily’s shoulder. 

“It was a dare. I don’t back down when challenged,” Lindsey explains softly. 

“Does that even count? It’s okay if you prefer to kiss girls and only kissed a boy to not lose a game. I have a gay cousin and we’re still tight,” Emily mocks Lindsey’s earlier statement with a smirk. 

Lindsey’s expression becomes unreadable as she takes a sudden interest in the carpet and nervously taps her fingers against her leg. 

“I’m not sure,” Lindsey lets out behind a deep breath. 

Emily’s stomach twists into knots at the turn of events. Nobody has ever come out to her before. She’s never tried to talk out her own feelings with anyone either. Why Lindsey would choose her, choose now, it isn’t making a whole lot of sense. 

“Why me?” She asks honestly, not knowing what else to say. 

“Why you, what?”

“Why are you telling me this?” 

“It’s just a feeling I had. That maybe you’d get it,” Lindsey responds carefully, but truthfully.

Emily ponders on it for a moment before smiling weakly and nodding. 

“Maybe I do.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Their dynamic changes after that night. Lindsey still intimidates Emily on the field during training, but she doesn’t fear her as a person. Lindsey was brave enough to begin opening up about something personal with a practical stranger, just like she’s brave enough to have also committed to playing professionally overseas. By the end of the second week of camp, they’ve established themselves as a power duo on the field, and Emily is thinking it’s due time she finds some bravery of her own. 

They’re sitting on the floor of their hotel room on their final night of camp, backs resting against Lindsey’s bed since it’s closest to the TV, sharing a bag of gummy worms and a Diet Coke they got from the vending machines down the hall. There’s an MLS match on the TV and after 60 minutes it’s still at a 0-0 draw. Emily’s attention easily wanders from the TV to the girl beside her who is somehow still intent on watching particular players with intense concentration. Lindsey’s truly studying the game, but as Emily has been realizing more and more over the past couple weeks, she prefers to study Lindsey. 

Emily has played soccer with many beautiful girls. There are plenty of beautiful girls at her school or in her neighborhood, too. But she has always repressed any attraction she felt towards them, certain she was mistaken about those feelings. Maybe it was admiration about something else, she would reason. Perhaps it was envy about their “normal” lives compared to her own. They wouldn’t want her to like them “like that,” and she didn’t want to like them “that way” either. It seems like Lindsey won’t mind if she does, so she lets herself feel  
for once. 

The match is in stoppage time when Lindsey finally catches onto Emily’s staring, and she turns her head so their eyes meet. Lindsey bumps her left leg against Emily’s right to snap her out of it. 

“You know you’re not going to learn anything from the pros if you’re not paying attention,”  
she scolds. 

“You’re about to be pro and I pay attention to you,” Emily points out. 

“Are you....flirting with me?” Lindsey questions tentatively.

“First, I’m gay because I don’t kiss boys. Now, I’m gay because I’m complimenting a friend. I dunno, Linds. Kinda reads like you’re projecting to me,” Emily delivers sarcastically, barely able to contain a smirk. 

Lindsey narrows her eyes at Emily and shakes her head. 

“It’s cruel to tease someone about their deepest insecurities,” she replies matter-of-fact.

“Maybe we wouldn’t be so insecure about it anymore if we kissed,” Emily suggests before the rational part of her brain can kick in to stop her. 

She expects immediate rejection, but instead there’s only silence as Lindsey appears to be giving it actual consideration. 

“Do you want to kiss me? Or are you just asking me because you think I will kiss you?”

Emily reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair that has fallen against Lindsey’s cheek behind her ear. 

“I want to kiss you, specifically you, because you’re amazing,” Emily insists, “But only if you want to kiss me, too,” she adds insecurely.

Lindsey reaches up to Emily’s hand that’s hovering by her face and pushes it down so it won’t obstruct her from pulling Emily closer.

“Just kiss me, you idiot,” Lindsey demands.

And Emily listens.


End file.
